Manchester City duo of striker Alvaro Negredo and defender Micah Richards have departed the club for Valencia and Fiorentina respectively, both on a season-long loan.

An obligatory purchase clause is inserted in the agreement between Valencia and Man City, which permits the former to purchase Negredo’s right at the end of the 2014-2015 season, for an amount believed to be around €27,000,000.

City’s longest-serving player with 245 appearances, Richards, had been troubled by succession of injuries, eventually going down the first-team pecking order at the Premier League champions.

Alvaro Negredo Celebrates Scoring for Manchester City.

Bacary Sagna’s arrival in the close season further reduced his first-team opportunities. An influential member of City’s 2011/12 league triumph, Richards played his last game as captain in the Community Shield defeat by Arsenal.

“Everyone at MCFC wishes him the very best for the coming campaign,” a message on the club website read.

Spaniard Negredo joined City last summer in a deal reportedly worth £16.4m from Sevilla and was an instant hit with supporters, scoring 9 goals in 32 league games, as Manuel Pellegrini’s side won a second title in three years.

The 29-year-old formed a lethal partnership with Sergio Aguero and went into the New Year as the club’s top scorer with 23 goals.

But his phenomenal start to the previous campaign was cut short after a shoulder injury he sustained in January ruled him out for several week. He struggled to find his blazing form on return, eventually missing out of coach Vicente de Bosque’s squad at the 2014 Fifa World Cup.

He reaffirmed his commitment to City during the summer before injuring himself in a pre-season friendly game.